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Objectives are used in a variety of business and job-searching contexts. They are short statements that describe exactly what you want. While your overarching goal, for example, may be to get a job, your resume statement may state that you want a job as a nurse. In a business context, objective statements provide precise details about how you plan to achieve a business goal.

Resumes

One of the most common places objective statements were found in the past was in resumes. They were the one to three lines of text at the top of a resume that told an employer a little about candidates’ experience level and what kind of job they wanted. A resume objective, for example, might have said, “Experienced interior and exterior house painter seeks position as painting foreman.” They were short and to the point, letting the employer know why you were submitting your resume. A downside to resume objective statements, however, was that they were often general and broad. They didn't tell an employer what job title a job-seeker wanted. A broad and ineffective resume objective might have read, “Graduate student seeks part-time job with flexible schedule.” Not only would this statement not tell the employer what the applicant could do, the entire focus of the statement was on the applicant and his wants, not on the employer’s needs, where it should have been.

Outdated

Resume objectives are quickly becoming outdated. Career profiles, personal branding statements or professional summaries are now the way job applicants demonstrate their skills and abilities. A profile, statement or summary provides action-oriented and specific details about an applicant’s past experience and skill sets. They may take the form of bullet-pointed sentences, or they may be in paragraph form. They also let an employer know what kind of job a candidate wants based on a list of skills and professional accomplishments.

Business Goals

Business managers must create goals for their companies that define where they want the company to be in the future. A goal is a purposely broad, vague statement that describes a vision for a business. Goals provide general direction for company leaders and employees and serve as an overall guide for business decisions and actions.

Business Objectives

An objective statement in the business context, on the other hand, is comprised of a sentence or two that describes the exact outcomes that the business wants. It tells employees precisely what they must do to reach the company’s goals. Objectives have deadlines, are realistic, are specific and are achievable. They map out exactly what the business must do to achieve its goals.